Free Agency, Days Twelve and Thirteen

Why is it the weekends always seem to be extra slow when it comes to free agent signings? Oh well, here’s your weekend report.

Saints sign LB Curtis Lofton

The Saints signed linebacker Curtis Lofton to a five-year deal.

This is the big foot I’ve been waiting to fall for most of the off-season. While there are still a number of good players still waiting to find jobs elsewhere, I didn’t think there were any as good as Lofton. After the Gregg Williams scandal and the potential that middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma will be suspended arose, this move

basically had to be made. Lofton is great in the middle and has the talent to play all three linebacker positions. So, in theory, the Saints would play Lofton in the middle while Vilma is suspended (he shouldn’t be but the NFL has a thing for making headline catching moves that don’t change anything) then he could move to the outside when Vilma returns. Either way, the Saints linebacking core is improved. This was an excellent move by the Saints.

Cardinals sign CB William Gay

The Cardinals signed cornerback William Gay to a two-year deal.

The Cardinals needed to address the cornerback position somewhat this offseason after Richard Marshall signed with the Dolphins and with Greg Toler coming off a major knee injury. Gay has plenty of experience playing both as a nickel and as a starter. He’s overall a solid player and should help the Cardinals secondary in whatever role he plays. I generally like this signing.

Bengals re-sign DT Pat Sims

The Bengals re-signed defensive tackle Pat Sims. The terms of the contract were not disclosed.

This signing made sense from both sides. Sims has been a valuable member of the Bengals defensive line rotation and wasn’t getting a ton of interest from the free agent market. So this move was sensible from both ends.

Broncos sign QB Caleb Hanie

The Broncos signed quarterback Caleb Hanie to a two-year deal.

Regardless of how bad he was in the overly complicated Mike Martz offense, Hanie is not likely to play a great deal while sitting behind Peyton Manning. Manning normally never misses any time and if he’s fully recovered from his neck injury, I doubt anything will change. Though if it does, we’ve seen that the Broncos coaching staff is quite comfortable adjusting its offense to fit the talents of the quarterback they have.

Bills re-sign RB Tashard Choice

The Bills re-signed running back Tashard Choice to an undisclosed deal.

After the injury to Fred Jackson and the uncertainty regarding how healthy C.J. Spiller can stay, bringing back Choice makes sense.

Cardinals re-sign K Jay Feely

The Cardinals re-signed kicker Jay Feely to a two-year deal.

Feely has been a solid kicker over the course of his career, though a bit inconsistent. It did make sense for the Cardinals because of how difficult it is to find quality kickers, making a having a good player at the position for the next two years a good idea. I like signing as a whole.